


That's Why...

by TheIntelligentHufflepuff



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Bucky loves Steve so much, Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Spoilers, Fluff, M/M, Not So Much A Fix-It As An Explanation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-30
Updated: 2016-04-30
Packaged: 2018-06-05 12:55:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6705271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheIntelligentHufflepuff/pseuds/TheIntelligentHufflepuff
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam stifled a snort. </p><p>"Well, come on then! Who is she? She's cute." </p><p>Sam took a moment to raise his eyebrows at Redwing. The Winter Soldier, world infamous assassin, described a woman as 'cute'.</p>
            </blockquote>





	That's Why...

**Author's Note:**

> Just to reiterate- Civil War spoilers. (Aka the film that killed me). 
> 
> This wouldn't actually fit in to the canon timeline very well, to be honest, but that's ok. Also, I might add a bit to this later because I am loving the Sam Bucky bromance, but we'll see. It is, after all, imminently exam season.

The safe house was small, more of a pit stop than anything. It's walls were thin, allowing Sam- from the bedroom in which he was giving his wings some final checks- to easily overhear the conversation coming from the bathroom. 

"So..." Barnes- no, Bucky- said, trailing off suggestively. 

Sam jolted a little. It was hard for him to reconcile Bucky's teasing tone with the stone cold killer he and Steve had tracked for months. 

"Shuddup" Steve shot back. Sam could imagine him flushing, a small embarrassed-yet-pleased smile tugging at the corner of his lips. 

"I didn't even say anything yet!" 

"Yeah, but I can tell where you're going with this!" 

Sam stifled a snort. 

"Well, come on then! Who is she? She's cute." 

Sam took a moment to raise his eyebrows at Redwing. The Winter Soldier, world infamous assassin, described a woman as 'cute'. 

"She is." Steve agreed, somewhat bashfully "She's Peggy's niece." 

A pause. Sam tried to imagine Bucky's expression at that point. All he could come up with was soft. Bucky always looked soft when his eyes were directed at Steve, like Bucky was marvelling at his sheer existence. Like Steve was all the man would ever need to feel whole again. 

Honestly, it was kind of heartbreaking. 

"Her niece?" Bucky questioned, sounding somewhat incredulous "Well, you sure must love Carter women." 

Sam was torn between agreeing and egging Steve on to go get some, seriously. Romance or sex, who cares? 

"It's not like that." 

Oh, ok. This was interesting. Sam stilled his movements to listen more intently. He was fairly sure that he was one of Steve's best friends, so he knew him pretty well. Which meant that he knew Steve wasn't the type to lead people on...

"It seemed like that." Bucky pointed out, an undertone of bitterness to his words. 

Sam felt his therapist empathy skills flex, heart twisting. He was pretty damn certain that Bucky either was in love with Steve or had been before he fell. One look at them in the same space together was all it took. The only problem was, Sam couldn't say for sure if Steve felt the same way. Of course, he had his suspicions- Steve had, after all, resisted dating for so long- but no matter how close he and Sam were, Steve's walls unfailingly clanged up whenever things got too close to his emotions. A defence mechanism, Sam supposed. 

"Well it wasn't. It's, uh. She's single but I'm fairly sure that she and an ex-SHIELD friend of hers could go somewhere. And I have-" Steve cut himself off, making a sort of coughing sound that Sam had come to recognise as a tell for getting personal "Well, it's just a crush. You know? She's amazing and beautiful and...I do sort of have a crush. It'll pass."

"She has a suitor, that you know about, and you kissed her?" 

Sam agreed. That did seem out of character for Mr. Truth and Honour. 

"She kissed me. And yeah. It didn't mean anything, it's just sort of...cleaning things up. It's done now." 

"Oh." Bucky responded. Sam smirked at his relief. 

"So, who's the lucky woman then, that you're saving your heart for?" Bucky pressed.

"No-one."

"Huh?"

"No-it's...no woman." 

Bucky's intake of breath was barely audible, but there nevertheless. 

"Oh...ok. So, Wilson?" 

Sam really hoped not.

"No!" Steve sounded horrified. Sam didn't know wether to be relieved or offended "it's...its, uh."

Sam held his breath, leaning towards the wall in anticipation.

"It's you." 

Sam fist bumped silently, then reigned himself in. Bucky was talking.

"Wha...what? Why..."

Steve cut him off "Why did you lie to me when I asked if you remembered me?" 

Sam looked to Redwing in shock. This was better than a soap opera. 

"I couldn't!" Bucky protested "You were...I...the triggers, they...and I...everyone thought...I couldn't drag you in to that. You had to stay away. Or...I had to try at least. Just...try."

"Why?" Steve asked again, voice thick. 

Sam's heart flew in anticipation. 

"Because..." Sam envisioned Bucky steeling himself, readying for a verbal fight "Because the first thing that came back to me was that I loved you. That I am...you...I'm in love with you, Steve." 

The last part was said so feather gently that Sam barely heard it. But he was glad he did. 

"God. Buck...I'm in love with you. I'll admit that I was a little sweet on Sharon and a lot sweet on Peggy, but Bucky...I love you. Just took me a century or two to realise it, 's all."

Bucky's breath hitched. Sam was this close to following him. 

"Steve, you complete...Oh God, I love you so much. So much. But..."

Sam's heart stopped. 

"But we can't do anything about it until all this is over. You have to realise that, they'll think you're compromised-"

"I am." Steve amended frankly. 

"Or something worse, I don't wanna think what. Honestly I'm not sure we should do anything about it..."

"No." Steve interrupted; not quite a plea, but a firm insistence "No, if we leave this too long, something'll take it away." 

"And if we jump in too quickly something'll take you away." Bucky countered. 

"Or you." 

Silence, like a dead thing. 

Sam was on the cusp of marching in to slap them both when Steve spoke again, softly.

"I can't compromise on the Accords, but I'll compromise on this. We'll leave it, and talk about it later, but you better goddam know I love you back. Sound alright?" 

Bucky huffed, and Sam could practically feel the hardly concealed adoration rolling off of him "That sounds alright." 

"Well, then." 

Steve's smile was palpable. Sam smiled too. 

"Let's get going."


End file.
